Mary Tangelder
Strategy Advisor, Facilitator & Coach
Background
Mary works at the intersection of story, systems, and learning. She helps people and organizations make sense of complexity by finding new ways to see, name, and navigate change. Her practice spans from supporting a large foundation in embedding a systems lens into strategy implementation, to co-creating Africa’s first post-graduate degree Emergency Education at the University of Nairobi.
She designs learning spaces that invite institutions to rethink what they value, moving beyond fixed metrics to trace the deeper, often messy narratives that drive meaningful transformation. Her work is shaped by those at the edges: such as young people reimagining child welfare in Canada, communities rebuilding after conflict in Africa and Middle East, practitioners learning their way into new paradigms through hands-on experience, experimentation, and reflection.
At the heart of her practice is a belief that systems storytelling is not just about communication—it’s about power, perspective, and possibility. By surfacing untold stories and making space for multiple truths, Mary supports people to shift the narratives that hold systems in place, and to imagine—and enact—new ones.
At the School of System Change
Mary is a contributor on the Story, Narrative and Systems Learning & Practice Series in 2025.
"What draws me to systems change is how it makes the invisible visible—revealing the power dynamics beneath the surface, the places where things are starting to fray, and the quiet resilience already taking root. It keeps me attuned to possibility and to the stories still unfolding."
